Finding Johann Sebastian Bach. . .

. . .at Kenilworth Union Church.

I learned of the death of Gilbert W. Bowen, a few weeks ago, in a manner familiar to us all: I saw a post on Facebook, with a link to his obituary. Dr. Bowen had been the minister of Kenilworth Union Church from 1970 until his retirement in 2007. His predecessor, William R. Hodgson, had served as minister beginning in 1944, passing the torch to Dr. Bowen in 1970. Think about that: sixty-three years under the stewardship of two men!

My family moved to Kenilworth in 1965, and we lived a block away from Kenilworth Union Church, and were active in the church for many years. I, and my siblings, sang in the church choir, participated in church retreats, attended Sunday School classes, received confirmation rites, and traveled with church groups to Europe. Interestingly, I am the only one of the four Southern children who was not married in Kenilworth Union Church, in a service conducted by Gil Bowen. My dad served on the church’s board of trustees; my mom volunteered on various church committees, most notably regarding the annual Rummage Sale.

And, the ashes of both my parents are interred in the church’s adjacent memorial garden.

Suffice to say, my family’s roots within Kenilworth Union Church run deep. Not as deep as the sixty-three year era of Hodgson/Bowen leadership, but, deep, nonetheless.

What memories do I have of my experiences at Kenilworth Union Church, you ask? Boy, you’re inquisitive. Well, let me tell you, I can remember choir practice conducted in the Culbertson Room by Bernie Izzo, a professional bass-baritone singer, who logged twenty-two years as a soloist with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and who also sang the National Anthem at Chicago Blackhawks games for fourteen years. Boy, what a scene that would have created, had he mixed-up those two engagements, eh? I can picture Bernie stepping up to the mike at the old Chicago Stadium, belting out an aria such as “Toreador,” from Bizet’s Carmen, instead of the National Anthem. Blackhawks fans back then were a rough crowd - maybe not as rough as the Philadelphia Eagles fans who pelted Santa Claus with snowballs in 1968, but Bernie would have had to run for shelter.

Given Bernie Izzo's three musical gigs (Kenilworth Union Church, Blackhawks games and Lyric Opera of Chicago), he would have been a natural to subscribe to Rule of Three.  If you can imagine three things that you do well, you should also subscribe - simply click the button here to subscribe now - it's free!  

Bernie’s annual star turn each year at Kenilworth Union Church was at Christmastime, during which he sang The Birthday of a King - I couldn’t locate a recording of it, but it was truly spine-tingling.

Other members of the Kenilworth Union Church team at that time included Betty Jacobson, the organist, and John Robert, the church custodian.

I recall Dr. Hodgson as a wise, kind, older gentleman. And, Dr. Bowen succeeded in succeeding him, with a gentle, calm demeanor - truly unflappable. As a high-schooler at New Trier East, I joined Dr. Bowen’s Monday morning breakfast at the church for an informal get-together with a few other students (and, not just because Bowen then offered us a ride to school - although we had that going for us. . .which was nice); once a year, he treated us to breakfast at Walker Bros. The Original Pancake House, in Wilmette - a North Shore favorite, at which can be found the world-famous Apple Pancake.

Our breakfasts must have included a dose of scripture, and prayers, on occasion. But, as a sort of laissez-faire, Presbyterian-grounded church, Kenilworth Union Church seemed to be a good fit for Bowen’s laid-back style. Likewise, his weekly sermons were sprinkled with lessons drawn from scripture, but also drew liberally from the teachings of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German theologian, Friedrich Nietzsche, a 19th century German philosopher, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, an 18th century German writer (I may be wrong about Goethe, but Bowen clearly seemed to have an affinity for German historical figures), and Peanuts comics (if you look closely enough, you can detect distinct threads of theological debate embedded in Peanuts comics).

Dr. Bowen invited graduating high school seniors to deliver a guest sermon each spring. I took him up on that invitation, providing what I’m sure was a cringe-worthy performance by a knuckleheaded eighteen-year-old. As you know, Rule of Three has extended an invitation to each of you to submit a guest column, which we may, or may not publish. And, it is not necessary that you be a knuckleheaded eighteen-year-old - we’re willing to review cringe-worthy submissions from knuckleheads of any age.

A major character flaw of Bowen’s was that he was an avid Chicago Bears fan - a tough job for any of us in the early 1970’s, given their win-challenged results, but especially challenging for a man whose day job required his physical presence Sunday mornings until noon, which coincided with the kickoff time of most NFL games then.

Summertime was rummage sale sorting time at Kenilworth Union Church. The annual sale, conducted in the fall, was a huge event, and attracted attendees from all over the Chicago metropolitan area (Ed. note: I’ve never embraced marketers’ universal use of the term, “Chicagoland” - I find it cloying. And, don’t get me started on use of the word, “Cubbies” - it’s “Cubs,” for Chrissake!), including those traveling north from the city on the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad commuter line, arriving at the Kenilworth station, located just a few blocks west on Kenilworth Avenue, in the pre-dawn hours. I suppose that, although rummage sales assemble discarded household items for sale, discarded household items garnered from affluent North Shore homes might represent a better class of such stuff, worth traveling great distances to peruse.

A few days a week in the summer months, my mother dragged me and my siblings to the church to assist in the sorting process: toys, clothes, furniture and other odds and ends. Perhaps my mom also viewed this volunteer role as an opportunity to preview (and, pre-purchase) items for her own household - we certainly did lug home many things from the church during those years (no, I know nothing about missing pews, or pipes from the organ).

One of those pieces which became a key part of my wardrobe for years was a sweatshirt adorned with the face of Johann Sebastian Bach. I can’t be sure, but I think the picture atop this column (surfaced during a Google search) might be the very same sweatshirt that I owned for many years. I’m not sure why this particular sweatshirt appealed to me - Bach was not the most attractive man - but, I wore the crap out of that sweatshirt, for years. It had become something of a security blanket for me - it was warm, and comfortable, and familiar, like a big hug. Eventually the sweatshirt was reduced to a pile of raggedy threads, due to excessive wear, and its many trips to the washing machine, which rendered Bach’s face indecipherable (some might say that was a blessing from God), and the garment itself unusable.

So, as with all things, I was forced to say goodbye to an old friend, in this case a ratty, old sweatshirt. And, I can think of no better way to say goodbye in this column than to offer up a benediction shared by Dr. Bowen at the end of a good many Kenilworth Union Church services, from the rear of the church, after exiting during the recessional, a blessing which I have since learned is from the Bible, in Numbers 6:24-26:

24  The Lord bless you and keep you;

25  the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;

26  the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

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